ATTA (Semiotext(e) / Intervention Series)

I give this book four stars only because of the fact that it's so difficult to read unless you really do share the guy's feelings. It's pretty predictable given what I knew about Atta, but it's still interesting all of the odd meanings he derives from the most mundane of American culture, from The Jungle Book to slasher films. Atta's portrayal of the volleyball-playing Osama bin Laden is also something I did not expect, so don't get the impression that you'll be five steps ahead of this guy all throughout the book.Aside from the character of Atta himself, Kobek crafts a work of literature worth reading and deserving of far more than the 4/5 stars I am forced to give his book because of what his main character causes my mind to suffer. READ IT.

A poorly-written, nearsighted, shallow, myopic, boring piece.

A great novel and major achievement..

This is a largely stunning debut. Kobek provides a meticulously researched fictional portrait of one of the ringleaders of the 9/11 attacks, a man whose suicidal fanaticism helped to usher in our current, seemingly perpetual geo-political era of jihadi terror.Kobek bounces between sections of interior monologue tracing Atta's history and an external voice focused on the days leading up to the attack. At it's strongest, 'Atta' offers a searing portrait of hatred. Mohammed Atta's perspective is as sad and sickifying as anything in fiction. To paraphrase William H. Gass: he hates, a lot, hard.At the same time, Kobek does an excellent job of showing the colossal personal insecurities which can underlie such a hopelessly fanatical worldview. An encounter with a libidinous Palestinian woman, a bizzaro trip to Disney world (?!), a staggering description of a Hajj pilgrimage which ends in a crisis of faith... Kobek makes these vectors of personal doubt cosmically frightening, and tangible. This is an excellent book about a supremely awful human being. Highly recommended, even though strangers at the park will give you some funny looks when you try and explain what it's about

In the end I think Jarett Kobek's "Atta" is the only book one really needs to read regarding September 11. It's a tragic and sad tale. Atta was one of the key figures who was the "soldier" or "Terrorist" who flew the plane into one of the towers on that clear September day. Which I hope by the way, over time, that date becomes just a date and not a memory of the incident, that opened up Pandora's Box of 21st Century tragedies - Iraq War, etc and etc.Atta, by all means a close-minded fellow, is repulsed and fascinated by American culture. For me, the most interesting part of this narrative is his thoughts on Walt Disney and one of his films. He saw it with his fellow thugs, and was totally repulsed by what he saw on the screen. When they started to have articles in the media about Atta, I remember the Disney fixation and how that sort of became a focus of sorts. Kobek did an excellent job in getting into Atta's head, especially his thoughts on architecture as well as popular media and the Urban Landscape, both his home in Egypt as well as in the U.S./Europe. It's amazing how suspenseful the book is, especially we know the narrative already. This handsomely designed little book is an important work, yet depressing. But one has to go through the pain (at times) to get to a truth of some sort. Essential book!

Fantastic book. Superb writing. Transcends the subject matter. Focused and brilliant. Not a single ounce of fat. I only want to read more by Mr. Kobek. A major talent.

An incredible portrait of the architect of one of the cells that flew a plane into one of the towers on 9/11. The voice crafted for this is as successful for me as Lolita. Not with the goal of seducing the reader to the point-of-view of Atta, but more the believable, organic nature of the voice being entirely embodied in every level of the prose work. You absolutely revile the man, who rails against those less puritanical than him even as he refuses to interrogate an inch of himself. Yet even in so doing, there is massive conflict present. Always bubbling and psychically driving his thoughts, emotions, and actions.It’s actually an important work, I feel. When people do these things the gut reaction is to paint them as insane and dehumanize them and contrast them to us completely. But actually our creating a caricature of people who do these things only allows for us to continually misunderstand and often demonize entire groups which we ascribe the perpetrators of such actions. Similarly lacking the inward reflection and critical input from others, as well as the fostering of empathy everyone dearly, dearly needs to be and perceive and negotiate humanity.At a systemic level, Atta here does actually perceive real issues and real harm coming from western society. And he’s not wrong about them. But that anger turning to fostered, active hatred coupled with shame that could easily be likened to those of western rearing and socialization is similarly present. He does see, at times, that God is Love. But can’t internalize it because the rhetoric of his turned masculinity can’t justify that.So he does as everyone does: build their own prison. Play architect to their own pain and, in turn, filter everything through that skewed lens.Again, just as in Lolita, the reader should come away from this reflecting on their own lens. Where does our own motivated thinking take us? Where are we going? What are we doing? Harm? Or good?

Came on time as advertised and it's in better condition than I expected. Thank you.